Ally Malinenko's Blog, page 15

Reading in da ‘Burgh and other things I don’t have time to talk about

Just a quick reminder that this is happening so if you want to come out you can hear some top notch writing. I’m talking TOP NOTCH. Well mine will be my usual drivel, but the rest? TOP NOTCH.

Also I really want to write a blog post about the things I’ve been working on but I’ve been too damn busy working on them. Figures.

Point being, things are happening. Work is being done. Words are being written. Eventually I’ll have some news.

Peace Love and Starbursts,

Ally

A Reading, a Recording and a Publication, Oh My!

Hi.

So I’ve got some news.

First off, on the events front, I’ll be in Pittsburgh on February 8th, reading at Modern Formations. Here’s the line up:

A Confluence of Poets – Modern Formations

Saturday, February 8th,  8 pm

Presented by Lilliput Review

 

Buffalo – Sara Ries     Erie – Chuck Joy

  Cleveland – Diane Borsenik & John Burroughs

New York City – Ally Malinenko & John Grochalski

San Francisco – Maggie Glover

Pittsburgh – Heather McNaugher, Kristofer Collins

& Don Wentworth

Admission : $5 or a Covered Dish

Modern Formations 4919 Penn Ave. Pittsburgh, PA

Nice, right? I’ve very excited. So if you’re in the area, please come out and say hello and hear some great poetry.

And the night before that, I’m going to be on Prosody - a poetry radio show -  which is craziness! I’ll be reading some poems and talking to Renee Alberts about poetry. I haven’t picked out the poems I’m going to read yet (Note to self: pick out some poems, Ally) but I’m hoping to do a couple from my new series, How To Be An American.

Granted, the FCC requires I tone a few of those down so that there is less f-bomb dropping and all. Ahem.

And lastly, speaking of F-Bombs……My novella THIS IS SARAH is being published this spring by BookFish Books.There’s still a ton of work to do but I’m super excited for this opportunity.

Here’s a little teaser synopsis:

When Colin Leventhal leaned out his bedroom window on the night of May 12th and said goodbye to his girlfriend, he never expected it would be forever. But when Sarah Evans goes missing that night, Colin’s world unravels as he is transformed from the boyfriend next door to the main police suspect. Then one year later, at her memorial service, Colin makes a phone call that could change everything. Is it possible that Sarah is still alive? And if so, what is Colin willing to do to bring her back?

THIS IS SARAH is a meditation on loss, a tale of first love, and a harrowing journey about what it is to say finally let go and say goodbye.

Yay!


Once again, small presses to the rescue!


So that’s about everything for now. Again if you’re anywhere near Pittsburgh, please come out. Afterwards we’ll get beers!


Peace, Love and Starbursts,
Ally

How to Be An American Series poem at Burlesque Press

And here we are, on the other side of big roll over from 2013 to 2014.

Hopefully we all made it.

And here’s a nice way to start out the year – with a poem – published by the fine folks at Burlesque Press. It’s from the How to Be An American series that I’ve been working on entitled We Can Stand the Sound of Progress Like Jackhammers and Chainsaws But We Do Not Feel Our Neighbor Has the Right to Disturb Our Peace.

It’s based on a true story about me, in the snow, late at night, after a wee bit too much wine, yelling at the guys driving the plow in my pink fuzzy pajamas with skulls on them. Needless to say, a good time was had by all.

Many thanks to Burlesque Press for giving this poem a home.

Peace Love and Starbursts,

Ally

All about the WORK

“So it’s a new year. It’s not like it doesn’t happen at the end of every other year.” – Rob Berg’s Outgoing Message on Answering Machine circa 1996

So here we go again, back on the ol’ carousel for another jaunt around the sun. I was talking to my husband the other day, who’s first novel was just published, about THE WORK vs the PUBLICATION and how to balance the part that actually makes you “happy” (whatever the hell that little word means).

We both had novels published this year which is incredibly cool but also often followed up with a big “well, now what?” Don’t get me wrong – it’s fantastic knowing that the little world that lived in my head lives on it’s own and it’s wonderful to get good reviews and hear great things about it but there’s still a big old “Well, now WHAT?”

And I’m learned that the WHAT is the WORK.  It’s all pretty much summed up in this incredible letter from Tchaikovsky on Work.

And if you’re lazy like me and don’t feel like reading the whole thing, I’ll summarize my favorite part:

We must always work, and a self-respecting artist must not fold his hands on the pretext that he is not in the mood. If we wait for the mood, without endeavoring to meet it half-way, we easily become indolent and apathetic. We must be patient, and believe that inspiration will come to those who can master their disinclination. – Tchaikovsky

which is also another way of saying:

“If you only write when you’re inspired you may be a fairly decent poet, but you’ll never be a novelist because you’re going to have to make your word count today and those words aren’t going to wait for you whether you’re inspired or not.

You have to write when you’re not inspired. And you have to write the scenes that don’t inspire you. And the weird thing is that six months later, a year later, you’ll look back at them and you can’t remember which scenes you wrote when you were inspired and which scenes you just wrote because they had to be written next.

The process of writing can be magical. …Mostly it’s a process of putting one word after another.” – Neil Gaiman

Or if you prefer:

So that’s what 2014 is all about. I’ve got another round of revision on Palimpsest staring me in the face. I’ve got some poems and short stories to write. I’ve got WORK to do.

Set your alarm for 5 am kids and get a good nights sleep. Morning comes early. But it’s worth it.

Happy New Year.

Peace, Love and Starbursts,

Ally

momentarily winding back up….

hi.

I’m back in Brooklyn after spending the Christmas holiday in Pittsburgh.

It was a great visit – filled with babies that left too soon and books that arrived too late and friends I haven’t seen in far too long. There were a few tears here and there, spots of sad news and worry about the upcoming year but mostly, there was a lot of laughter, a lot of food and clinking of glasses and toasts and a ton of June the Cat trying to sleep on everyone’s lap.

And there was a book release for Jay’s new novel The Librarian during which he read the first chapter (wonderfully) and everyone laughed. More glasses were clinked.

And here is a new poem of mine, from the How To Be An American series I’ve been working on. Many thanks to Burlesque Press for publishing it.

Merry Christmas/Happy New Year/Happy Solstice/Happy Happy/Happy Whatever, kids.

Be nice to each other. It’s a short life and we’re all going to die someday. In meantime, clink some glasses. Make some art.

Peace Love and Starbursts,

Ally

Winding down

Christmas is almost here.

You know what that means?

I’m taking a much needed BREAK.

It’s been a busy damn year and I have written a lot of WORDS and my brain craves sleep more than anything in the world right now. So tomorrow is it. Last 5 am wake up till the new year.

Two solid weeks of sleep.

But before I go I want to thank the oh so lovely Jennifer at Burlesque Press for publishing another of my How To Be An American poems entitled Sorrow Interferes With Our Upbeat, Optimistic View of Life and People Who Are Sad Do Not Find Ready Acceptance.

Goodbye, kiddies. Behave or you’ll get no presents from Santa. See you on the flipside in 2014. Cross your fingers it’s a better year than this one.

Peace, Love and Starbursts,

Ally

The Librarian by John Grochalski or What Would Rand Do?

Hi kids!

So today is an exciting day because now you can officially purchase John Grochalski’s first novel The Librarian.

Here’s what smarter people than me have said about it:

Grochalski has done it. He’s taken the wry wit and tenderness of his poetry and transformed it into a lyrical, biting, and at turns incredibly humorous first novel. Welcome to the world of Rand Wyndham, a former librarian and misanthrope extraordinaire in his late 30s who suffers through temp work and other horrors to retreat nightly to the safe haven of Rooney’s Pub, where he has proudly earned his stripes as a regular. In well-crafted prose, Grochalski keenly captures the inane ritual of the daily workplace routine but also the ridiculous and entertaining scuffles, drunken chatter, and other misadventures of bar life. For Rand, having to deal with bleary-eyed hangovers in cubicles under the glare of fluorescent lights is worth every minute of boozing with the other regulars of Rooney’s until last call. And I didn’t want to leave the bar either—I had a hard time putting Grochalski’s book down. A great read and a rousing success.

—Scott Silsbe, Editor, The New Yinzer

And:

John Grochalski aims straight for the heart of things. With equal measures of acid and awe, he lights out for territory originally assayed by the legendary Charles Bukowski. Roll down the windows, fire up the imagination, and pass the bottle this way: you’re in for one helluva ride.

—Don Wentworth, Editor, Lilliput Review

AND:

John Grochalski is that rarity in literature these days—an honest man. In his poems, stories and novels Grochalski eschews artifice in favor of something grander and more immediate; he strives to show the world as it is in all its mortifying desperation. Here is the real grit of lives eked out in the trenches of a culture and country in steep decline. To read Grochalski is to know America.

—Kristofer Collins, Editor, Low Ghost Press

See? Now you’ve got no reason NOT to pick it up.

And if you’re in the Pittsburgh area on  December 23rd,  come down to Modern Formations Gallery (4919 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pa) for the book launch. Doors open at 8pm and there is a $5 cover charge. It’s a joint book launch so the always fantastic Mr. Scott Silsbe will be there too promoting his new book The River Underneath the City out via Low Ghost Press.

Exciting stuff!

Happy Holidays kids. And remember as you struggle through another season of holiday malaise, ask yourself What Would Rand Do?

(…..More than likely he’d be at the bar!)

Peace, Love and Starbursts,

Ally

How to Be An American poem at Regardless of Authority

It’s December.

When did that happen? December?

The last month of 2013.

It’s been a weird year. On the one hand it was all amazing with Vienna and Salzburg and Mozart’s house and driving up the coast of California and so much poetry written and read and heard and published and indian food and Chagall and Klimt and a new little baby named Wes and Nietzsche and novel writing about memory and the theory of eternal return….

and on the other hand there’s been sad things and weird things and few more sad things….

so basically I guess it’s been like all the other years. Some good. Some bad. Some not even worth mentioning.

At the very least I have managed to get a lot of writing done this year. While these five am writing mornings five days a week are probably shortening my life significantly, there’s at least ink on paper, right? Enough to bury me in.

So anyway, many thanks to Regardless of Authority for picking up one of my How To Be An American poems for the new issue. You can read it here.

It’s based on a true story. That all actually happened at the Duomo (pictured above) in Florence just about a year and a half ago. And yes, my poor husband does have to put up with me mouthing off to strangers.

Thanks again to Regardless of Authority.

Peace, Love and Starbursts,

Ally

Ol’ Tom’s Reminder at Drunk Monkeys

A beautiful gun is a thing of wonder

Hi.

So I wrote a Western with guns and ol’ curs and dog teeth and a blunderbuss with a heart-shaped tip and the very kind folks at Drunk Monkeys agreed to publish it.

In full disclosure, I stole a joke in it. But I stole it from my husband so it’s sort of shared property, right?

“Well bless your soul, Ol’ Tom. Or the black dead space where your soul used to rot.”

Ol’ Tom lets out a dog howl of a laugh and pours himself another. “That’s why I like you Davey. Godamnit, I can’t help myself even after all the bad blood now between us you can still make me laugh. You are one funny sonofabitch.”

“Yeah, well, looks aren’t everything.”

Get it? You’re funny? Yeah well looks aren’t everything.

Admittedly it’s funnier when he says it.

So thanks again to Drunk Monkeys for taking this bizarre story about two old school gangsters.

Peace Love and Starbursts,

Ally

Three “How to Be An American” poems up at Dead Snakes

mmmmm meat-states via Fooddiggity

Morning folks.

Many thanks to the always awesome Stephen at Dead Snakes for taking these three How to Be An American poems. This whole project has been really interesting, especially people’s reactions to it. As our Ex-president Bush said, “You’re either with us or you’re with the terrorists.”

Happy Monday, America.

Peace, Love and Starbursts,

Ally